Record books in Chicago close Saturday night on the coldest December through February
meteorological winter of the past 23 years. The season has averaged 22.1 degrees -- colder
than last winter's 24.8 and well below the long-term average of 26.7. February has been
the least harsh of the three-month season, but Saturday's 30-degree high will fall
nearly 10 degrees below normal.
A modest lake-effect snow setup produces a few flurries Saturday morning as a
better-organized snow system sinks southeastward from Nebraska through Memphis -- with snow
possible all the way to Atlanta. Chicago's lake-snow potential rises Sunday. Winds coming into
the city from the north will travel four times the distance over water as compared to
Saturday and with a much sharper temperature drop as altitude increases -- signs that
lake-snow formation may be more vigorous.
2009'S 1ST 100-DEGREE READING IN U.S.
A sure sign of the upcoming warm season is the nation's first 100-degree-plus reading of
2009, recorded Friday at McAllen, Texas. It was the earliest-ever triple-digit high for
McAllen and beat the old record (set March 6, 1956) by a week.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
